because geeks are curious

My iPhone Became My Wallet

Years ago, I carried an iPod touch and a feature phone until I finally replaced them with just an iPhone. Weeks ago, it hit me: why am I carrying my iPhone and my wallet separately yet often together inside my jacket pocket? That’s when I decided to try a wallet case.

Two To One

Besides keys, just about everyone always loads their pockets with a wallet and a phone . A force of good habit, I always do a mental check before I head out somewhere; I’ll even pat my pockets while I do it, you know, to avoid a panic later if either is missing. 1

For years, I carried my wallet in my back pocket, phone in the front. My wallet always held several types of cards, and these days very little cash if any. But I realized that most of the stuff in my billfold was neither needed nor used like 99% of the time. All I really need is my driver’s license, debit card, and maybe a little cash. That’s it. Carrying both a wallet and a phone struck me as totally redundant or unnecessary.

I checked online for iPhone wallet cases to find the one that would work for me. But I didn’t want to open my current wallet too much – ha! – to buy one . So it had to be functional and affordable. And how about cool looking?

A Snakehive

It doesn’t sound inviting, but the wallet case I chose is very attractive. The premium aesthetic of the case is what caught my eye. It has a two-tone look and feel; I opted for black suede with brown leather. The inside is also exquisite; all the stitching is top-notch. The case appears to be put together very well. And it is.

I’ve been using my Snakehive wallet case for two weeks now, and it is already “breaking in.” The material where it folds is looser, the card slots are less tight, and the leather on the outside looks good with some minor scuffs.

I dropped my new phone wallet a few times and am glad the outer flap covers the screen. The part that holds the phone in place is a flexible rubbery plastic that is the right balance of stiffness and softness. It feels nice to have the entire phone wrapped in protection.

So as I expected, the case looks good, feels good, and is quality craftsmanship. And it only set me back $30 – that’s a good deal! But there are some things I did not expect in switching to a wallet case.

It Feels Different

One of the first things I noticed right away were quick moments of minor panic and relief. In these first two weeks, every time I’d head out and do my mental check, I’d notice my wallet missing from my back pocket! Oh no! A second later, my brain would recall my wallet is my phone, or my phone is my wallet now, and I do have it. It’s in my front pocket. Ok, safe!

The other unexpected thing I noticed is how nice it really feels to have one less little bulky thing to carry around on me and keep up with. Simplicity is an underrated virtue that I find a lot of value in. Cliche it may be, but so what, it’s so true: less is more. I’m a little bit freer now than I was before since going from two loaded full pockets to one.2

And the thing I was most unsure about has, so far, turned out to be not a problem. I was concerned about actually being able to use my phone while it is stuck in a flappy covered case. Worst case scenario: I would get frustrated from fiddling with the phone and chuck the case across the room. But that hasn’t happened!

I figured that if the case was a slight encumbrance or hindrance, then that would cause me to use my iPhone less. And that would be a good thing, like using Screen Time to help you break your phone addiction. So I was mentally prepared for some case woes, but like I said, I’ve found no problem with it.

In fact, I’ve adjusted already to how to use the phone while it’s snug in its leather confine. And I’ve found that the middling awkwardness is outweighed by the simplicity and utility of this type of wallet case.

Snake Versus Bison

There’s another animal emobossed wallet case on the market that, honestly, I think I’d like even better than the Snakehive. It’s the Carson Wallet Case by Burkley – and it’s got a Buffalo! 3

Besides the cool animal, the big advantage of the Burkley case is that the phone part is magnetic. This lets you remove the phone from your wallet, as easily as slipping out a $20 bill, so you can handle your phone normally without the flappy case attached.

Otherwise, the Burkley is the same as the Snakehive except for the extra cost of that one ideal feature. But it costs over twice as much. That’s more than I wanted to pay this time.

Bonus Feature

Here’s a handy tip for the Snakehive wallet case. If you sometimes need to tote around a headphone adapter, the super strong magnetic clasp easily secures the tiny cable to your phone.

If you’re looking for a new phone case and have wondered about one that doubles as a wallet, I don’t hesitate to recommend the Snakehive to you.

What kind of phone case do you like? Or do you go all natural with a naked phone? Comment below or write to me. Thanks for reading.

I’m not sure what would be worse, missing my iPhone or missing my wallet. Seriously, they’re both very valuable with personal or private info contained in them. I suppose my wallet would be the greatest asset to fall into the wrong hands, given it has my debit card. What if I just put my debit card in the Wallet app in my iPhone, protected behind TouchID? That would require two things: my bank supporting the Wallet app, and Apple Pay being available everywhere. At least I think that’s how it works. ↩

4 thoughts on “My iPhone Became My Wallet”

I like this idea but unfortunately I love handling my phone in my hands because it is such a nice device. I sometimes remove it from its case for a few hours. Yet, the idea of getting rid of another thing like my wallet is seducing.

I hear ya. So far I can thumb type and handle my phone well in the case. Well enough. I can even take photos with it. But I do like best just a pure phone. I went case-less before. It was so svelte! But I am not going back carrying a wallet and a phone separately.

I’ve wondered about cases like this. I was in Europe last year and it seemed that everyone used a case similar to this. I’ve already whittled my wallet down to just a couple cards so it might just work. I might give it a try. I, too, like the idea of one less thing to carry around. Thanks Jason.